Havent cleaned the Mondeo in 4000miles. I cleaned it just before I went to Belgium in August.
Aldi in Calais.
Brugges train station (2Euros for 12 hours parking!).

Anyway, 4000miles since I cleaned the car last it looked a bit like this!

I cleaned the car over two days.
I foamed the car in Meguiars Hyperwash just using a Karcher foam lance. I used a brush to get into all the nookes and crannies that I always miss with the mitt.
I washed the car in Meguiars Hyperwash using a Duragloss MF mitt.
The car was clayed with Bilt Hambers Autoclay using plain water as lube. The rear end took some claying and still isn't perfect. Clay was black with soot!
I cleaned the paint with Duragloss 652 Precleaner.
I applied Duragloss 601 Polish Bonding Agent.
Then I applied Duragloss 105 straight on top. It's a good AIO that always leaves a really wet finish and lasts well too!

I then left the car for a day and started again.
I washed the car in a very weak solution of Meguiars Hyperwash. The car was dusty and took very little washing.
I wiped the car down with Duragloss 921 Quick detailer to add a little extra gloss.
Then I applied Duragloss 111 Sealent as an LSP. I've always had good results and good durability with this sealent. Easy to use too!
Finally the car was wiped down with Duragloss Aquawax and I dressed all the trims and tyres.

Ahh the joys of having too much time on your hands (or not having kids) I washed the 406 at the weekend

I sprayed it with H2O using a own brand pressure washer that whistles as the nozzle is a bit rusty, attached to a hose which is full of pin holes that spray you unexpectedly in the face.

I then mixed some Carplan car wash and wax which I got free from Halfrauds for the privaledge of paying a small fortune to O2 each month with some luke warm water (don't scold the kids) in a bright red bucket that also came free with said shampoo.

I then set to work from the top down cleaning the car while my daughter worked from the bottom up, using a random number generator to decide what panel to attack next, rubbing grit into all the paintwork which she collected by regularly dropping the sponge on the floor.

I then re cleaned all the panels the daughter had helped with <winge>"I've done that one"</winge> while trying to stop her from re-cleaning others, scratched at some dead insects on the front bumper with my nail as the only 'clay' I have is plasticine.

Rinsed with H2O which I always find is an excellent SSR (soap sud removed)

Stood back to admire my handiwork, the new carpark dings, and the new scratches from living down a narrow track.

Got on my bike and went to the pub.

Suffice to say it looks absolutely nothing like yours. but at least I can see out the windows again as the recent weather has caused everything to have a patina of Saharan dust

Attempting to get a sensible answer if I dare
I've ordered a basic pressure washer from ECP for £45 mainly for doing the patio and other such jobs but it does have a detergent do-da on the lance.
If I were to get some of the autoglym foam stuff (Halfords on a 3 for 2 ATM) is it just a case of put it in, tweek the flow rate and cover the car or do I need any 'specialist' bits???

Far too many dinks and scratches in my car to be overly bothered but seems a shame not to use it now I've parted with the cash.

I use a snow foam lance, is that what you mean? it's fairly complex really when you take the thing apart because it has to 'pick up' the bubble solution and mix it with water and air to force it through a kinda 'birds beak' at the end. Mine has a gauze filter thing that I have to regularly soak in Vinegar otherwise it just won't produce the foam nicely.

Firstly, on the way home from the rugby on Saturday afternoon I took it to see the Polish boys at the hand car wash down the road, they do a cracking job for a fiver, it's really not worth getting dirty!

Then yesterday morning I made excuses why we should take the wife's car out so mine didn't get dirty before I had a chance to slap some products on it. Got home about 3 with overcast skies and fading light, so cracked on.

Though I'd better open that box of Meguiars stuff that several of us bought about a year ago

Used a clay bar for the first time in my life, the Meguiars clay with the Meguiars Quick Detailer, was impressed by the amount of crap it was picking up but I lost the will to live pretty quickly, so I attacked the visible stuff then moved on.

Polished it with Autoglym Super Resin Polish and the machine polisher, took it off with a cotton polishing cloth.

Then stuck a coat of Meguiars Gold Class on it too, applied by hand with a foam applicator and buffed up with a microfibre cloth, all from the Megs kit.

It was only at that point that I noticed the difference the clay made, the bits I'd done were noticeably smother than the bits I hadn't, should have done the whole thing really

Anyway, here are some mandatory pics, piss poor quality because of the fading light but nevertheless....

So that's my half-arsed attempt

So sorry about the rain, my fault! Still, I would have liked it to stay clean for more than 14 hours though. I'd jut like to add a special word of thanks to Taylor Wimpey, the run off from their building site formed a muddy lake and river that I had to navigate within 200 yds of leaving the house, thanks for that guys

You're brave attacking that with a machine polisher, I just mean that you need to know what you're doing? (not saying you don't of course) I fancy getting one but don't fancy doing it wrong and burning me laquer. We're supposed to buy an old scrap panel to practice on?

The clay makes all the subsequent hand treatments really easy for sure.

I've got to do my Winter treatment soon, I have to say I'm becoming less and less interested in these things as I get older. I've already had a word with the body shop next door to work about 'mopping'? mine for me

Welly wrote:You're brave attacking that with a machine polisher, I just mean that you need to know what you're doing? (not saying you don't of course) I fancy getting one but don't fancy doing it wrong and burning me laquer. We're supposed to buy an old scrap panel to practice on?

Well, when I say "Machine Polisher"..... it's definitely a hobbyists machine rather than a professional one, and I don't really put any load on it, more just use it to spread the polish under it's own weight. If you do try to press on it it stops anyway. I've been using it for years and never had any problems.